Girl Up Supporters Worldwide Celebrate the First-Ever International Day of the Girl

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More than 50 events to raise awareness about issues facing adolescent girls

Today I’m uniting with girls everywhere to say that together we will change our world. It’s our time to shine.

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB)October 11, 2012

Today marks the first-ever International Day of the Girl and to celebrate Girl Up supporters are hosting more than 50 events across 16 states and 9 countries. From France to Bangladesh, Ghana to the United States girls and their communities worldwide are gathering around this milestone to promote a significant message: that girls matter and it is time to start investing in and advocating for them.

“Every girl deserves the chance to go to school, the right to stay safe from violence, and the opportunity to become a leader no matter where she is born,” said Ines Renique, Girl Up Teen Advisor. “Today I’m uniting with girls everywhere to say that together we will change our world. It’s our time to shine.”

According to the United Nations, International Day of the Girl will “help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.”

“Thanks to the United Nations, today we are making history,” said Gina Reiss-Wilchins, Director of Girl Up. “The International Day of the Girl is our moment to say to girls everywhere, ‘you matter.’ We know that empowering girls not only betters their families and communities, it betters us all.”

Some Girl Up events scheduled for International Day of the Girl include:

The Hewitt Girl Up Club in New York, headed by Teen Advisor Sophia Stafford, will dedicate an entire week to celebrating International Day of the Girl at its school. The events kick off with a pep rally where students will learn about Ethiopia, Guatemala, Liberia, Malawi, and the United States to learn about the challenges girls face in each country and how students can make a difference.

Members of the Ndlunkulu Girls Club in South Africa will engage their community by creating purple Girl Up International Day of the Girl shirts. In addition, the club will host a Girl Up pep rally to celebrate the importance of girls everywhere.

St. James Church is celebrating International Day of the Girl by asking members and the entire diocese of Connecticut to give a high five and donate $5 to help girls around the world. Through Girl Up’s online fundraising platform, St. James Church hopes to raise $5,555 for Girl Up.

The United Nations Association of the USA’s Columbus Chapter will host a Girl Fair where girls will have the chance to write letters that will be delivered to girls in Malawi.

Click here for a full list of International Day of the Girl activities.

The movement around the world to empower adolescent girls and improve their livelihoods is growing. In less than two years since starting the campaign, the number of Girl Up Clubs has grown rapidly to more than 200 in 31 states and 19 countries. Additionally, there are more than 260,000 Girl Up supporters actively engaged in the adolescent girl conversation online. International Day of the Girl is a galvanizing moment for Girl Up supporters to engage their friends, families, and communities in the conversation, expanding the movement that is “Uniting Girls to Change the World.”

Tweet this: You see a girl, we see the future! Happy Int’l Day of the Girl! Celebrate for girls with @GirlUp today http://bit.ly/SUjEvI #dayofthegirl

About Girl Up

Girl Up, a campaign of the United Nations Foundation, gives American girls ages 13-18 the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Through Girl Up’s support, girls have the opportunity to become educated, healthy, safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of leaders. Go to GirlUp.org to learn more.

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit http://www.unfoundation.org.